Fight for freedom

Chapter eleven

An insane ride

The beeping noise echoed off the broken buildings of Sirens Street as the rubbish truck ploughed through the rubble. Its yellow lights spun in its sirens, bathing parts of the street in a brief yellow glow. In the cab, Kellyn grasped at the plastic coating of the steering wheel, having to lean backwards slightly so his foot reached the acceleration pedal, since the driver's seat was designed for someone will longer legs than little Kellyn. As he pulled up outside the restaurant, he switched his foot to the brake and then released the scoop at the front of the truck. The truck didn't stop as quickly as he thought it would, and the skip grinded along the road for a few metres, sparks flying and the sound of metal screeching alerting almost everyone in Wirrawee of their location. He muttered a curse under his breath as the truck finally stopped. He had to use two hands to apply the handbrake.

"Hurry up!" he called to his companions who were just pushing open the door of the restaurant. Lunick came hopping out with Solana supporting him with his arm looped around her shoulders again.

"Want to tell Norway where we are too while you're at it?" Solana asked.

"Move now, sarcasm later!" Kellyn hissed back "Just get in the cab!" Solana helped Lunick over to the passenger door, but quickly realised they had a problem: it was over a metre off the ground and there was no way Lunick could hop up the iron rungs of the tiny ladder used to get to the door.

"I can't climb up there" Lunick voiced her suspicions.

"Right" Solana bit her lip "In the scoop." Lunick's aqua eyes widened.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"In the scoop" she repeated, pushing the midnight-haired boy into the scoop. Lunick evidently thought she was mad, but didn't say anything else and obediently lay down in it. Minun bounded into it after his master. Kellyn stood up and looked over the steering wheel to try and see what was going on. Once she was sure Lunick was reasonably comfortable, Solana climbed into the driver's seat, scooting Kellyn along to the passenger seat.

"Lunick's taking the window seat" she told her passenger, lifting up the scoop so it was just below the cab's front window.

"Be careful" Kellyn told her.

"Like you can talk" Solana snorted "I thought you said you could drive this thing."

"I said a rubbish truck, not this rubbish truck" Kellyn folded his arms and shook his head.

"Er...guys" Lunick looked up from the scoop "We have company." Five soldiers with rifles to hand were approaching the rubbish truck. They hadn't fired yet, but that was probably from shock.

"Drive Solana!" Kellyn cried, fixing his seatbelt into place "Drive!"

Removing the handbrake, Solana fumbled around below the dashboard with her foot for the pedal. She found it, but the wrong one. She'd been intending to zoom forwards and get the soldiers to leap out of the way, instead they ended up going backwards. Thinking they were trying to retreat, the soldiers open fired. Lunick yelped and took cover in the scoop. Kellyn screamed and used his arms to protect his head from the raining glass as part of the front window shattered from the bullets.

"Hold on!" Solana cried the back end of the rubbish truck sent a car flying out of their reverse path. The soldiers had stopped firing now, but only to run and try and keep up with the reversing truck.

"Here!" Solana shoved the rifle towards Kellyn "Take this and shoot them back with it!"

"No!" Kellyn shook his head, his green eyes blazing defiantly "I won't do it!"

"Kellyn this is no time to go all religious!" Solana cried, shoving the gun closer to her way over-reacting passenger.

"I said no!" Kellyn protested, lying flat on the seat to protect himself from the gunfire which had resumed again now the soldiers had found their pace. Seeing Kellyn wasn't going to comply, Solana dropped the rifle on the seat next to her and focused on driving. In the scoop, Lunick covered his ears with his hands to try and block out the deafening sound of metal smashing against metal. The glass on Solana's side of the window shattered above her head, and a single shard scratched her hairline. She screamed with pain as her whole head felt like it was on fire. Dabbing her hand against her aching head, she saw red liquid on her fingers. Blood, her blood.

"You bleeding!" Kellyn exclaimed. Ignoring the pain, Solana came to the crossroads and reversed to the left. Then she slammed her foot of the acceleration pedal and they powered forwards down the right road. Lunick briefly looked up to see what was happening, then hid below the yellow metal teeth of the scoop again.

"I hope Keith's found a get-away car" Solana swallow nervously, moving the gearstick into the next gear.

"I just hope he remembers where to meet us" Kellyn added.

"Oh come on Kellyn!" Solana rolled her auburn eyes "Keith may not be the brightest bulb in the box but he knows how to find a church!" Kellyn looked out of the side window.

"Solana! Behind us!" He cried. Solana looked at the wing-mirror and saw what appeared to be a cross between a golf-cart and an electric-powered go-cart behind them, two soldiers sitting in it. It vanished behind the truck and then appeared again...or did it? The first time it had a red stripe on the front of it, now the stripe was blue.

'Great, there's two of them' she thought "Kellyn, if you're going to go all religious on me, I suggest you start praying now!" The truck whizzed around a hairpin bend, causing them all to flop to one side of the cab. She heard a loud moan from Lunick as he wacked his head off the scoop as he was sloshed to the right side of it. Kellyn looked out the window a second time. He saw the go-cart illuminated by spotlights on a frame suspended above it, then retreated his head again as it started to let loose gunfire. A whirl of bullets hit the back of the truck, briefly lifting it off its back two wheels. Kellyn yowled with terror and bent his head forwards so it almost touched his knees, his hands covering his ears.

"Hold on to your seats!" Solana called as they rounded a corner and the front left wheel bounced up onto the kerb of the pavement before crashing down onto the tarmac again, bouncing them in their seats. Lunick looked up out of the scoop again. One of the go-carts took a shortcut and pulled up level with them. Seeing it and hearing the raining gunfire made Lunick's aqua eyes widen and he ducked for cover again. The rubbish truck then smashed into a burning car, swiping it away to the side with its sheer strength and size.

As she turned a roundabout, Solana looked over at Kellyn and saw he was clutching the door-handle so hard his knuckles had turned white. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was muttering something under his breath. Solana couldn't tell if it was a prayer or a string of curses, but she guessed it was the first one. At least, she hoped so, they needed a miracle right now.

The rubbish truck bounced as the go-carts started firing at the tyres, finally succeeding in taking one out. Solana looked ahead and saw three overturned cars blocking the road.

"Hold on!" she cried as loud as possible. The rubbish truck slammed straight into them, tossing them like they were toys out of the path. Solana then yanked the steering wheel to the left, causing them to take a sharp ninety-degree turn. One go-cart skidded a bit but was able to follow. The second completely messed up the turn and drove straight into a set of low-hanging electrical wires. The new added weight pulled the wires into the air, dragging the go-cart up with them slightly so it dangled two metres off the ground. One man fell out of his seat onto the pavement below, the other was presumably electrocuted.

"Yes!" Solana cheered, punching the air with her free fist.

"We lost one of them!" Kellyn cheered too. The other go-cart though was still on their tail and rapidly firing at them. It burst a second tyre, causing them to veer off to the right down a small road named Forest Bank.

"We've lost another tyre!" Solana cried over the sound of the roaring truck and vrooming go-cart. Lunick raised his head and looked back at them, then heard the firing going on and ducked his head again. They took another right, ending up on the same road as before, just coming from the opposite direction.

"You're just driving in circles!" Kellyn yelled at Solana.

"I'm doing the best I can!" she yelled back as they smashed through another set of overturned cars.

Up ahead, Solana saw the hanging go-cart, its wheels spinning feebly due to the extra electricity running through it. Lunick yelped and flattened himself against the very base of the scoop. Kellyn screamed and ducked down below the dashboard. Solana screamed too and flattened her up body against the steering wheel. The corner of the truck smashed into the go-cart, sending it flying into the wall of the building next to it. It then came back down again, smashing into the other go-cart that was passing and taking them both out. The both blew up in the third explosion that had occurred in the previous two days. Lunick gave a sigh of relief. Solana laughed with joy whilst Kellyn just panted, a little impressed.

"You are dangerous!" he commented.

"I know!" Solana smiled proudly "That's what my driving instructor told me!" Kellyn looked a bit uncertain, but appeared to realise this wasn't the time such things and said no more.

The rest of the ride was peaceful. They drove up a small hill and parked outside the church Kellyn's mum usually worked at. The two of them got out of the cab, Lunick peered out of the scoop, his eyes wide with terror.

"Is it over?" he asked shakily. Solana nodded and looked around.

"Where's Keith?" she asked. The car-park was empty besides their rubbish truck "He's suppose to be here! Where is he?!"

"Maybe he got caught?" suggested Lunick gloomily.

"Or maybe he's lost?" Kellyn tried to add a positive outcome. After a few tense seconds of waiting, Solana turned around and walked back towards the cab.

"We have to get out of here" she said "We have to leave now."

"No" Kellyn blocked her path "We've got to wait for Keith."

"Well how long do you think it's gonna be before they get another vehicle out here, or even a helicopter?!" Solana asked him, plainly upset and frustrated. She didn't mean to take her anger out on Kellyn, but she jsut couldn't hold back any more "Move Kellyn! We have to leave now!" Just as she was finishing, white headlights illuminated the car-park. Solana prepared her rifle, but relaxed when she saw it was only a silver Mercedes. The engine stopped and out of the driver's seat stepped Keith, throwing the keys up and down in his left hand.

"Sorry I'm late guys" he patted Kellyn and Solana's shoulders using both of his hands. He moved past them to help Lunick out of the scoop, earning three incredulous stares "I forgot where the church was."